Transporting and Storing High-Level Nuclear Waste in the U.S.—Insights from a Mathematical Model

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dc.contributor.authorWegel, Sebastian
dc.contributor.authorCzempinski, Victoria
dc.contributor.authorOei, Pao-Yu
dc.contributor.authorWealer, Ben
dc.date.accessioned2019-06-18T11:10:15Z
dc.date.available2019-06-18T11:10:15Z
dc.date.issued2019-06-14
dc.description.abstractThe nuclear industry in the United States of America has accumulated about 70,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste over the past decades; at present, this waste is temporarily stored close to the nuclear power plants. The industry and the Department of Energy are now facing two related challenges: (i) will a permanent geological repository, e.g., Yucca Mountain, become available in the future, and if yes, when?; (ii) should the high-level waste be transported to interim storage facilities in the meantime, which may be safer and more cost economic? This paper presents a mathematical transportation model that evaluates the economic challenges and costs associated with different scenarios regarding the opening of a long-term geological repository. The model results suggest that any further delay in opening a long-term storage increases cost and consolidated interim storage facilities should be built now. We show that Yucca Mountain’s capacity is insufficient and additional storage is necessary. A sensitivity analysis for the reprocessing of high-level waste finds this uneconomic in all cases. This paper thus emphasizes the urgency of dealing with the high-level nuclear waste and informs the debate between the nuclear industry and policymakers on the basis of objective data and quantitative analysis.en
dc.description.sponsorshipDFG, 414044773, Open Access Publizieren 2019 - 2020 / Technische Universität Berlinen
dc.description.sponsorshipBMBF, 01LN1704A, Nachwuchsgruppe Globaler Wandel: CoalExit - Die Ökonomie des Kohleausstiegs - Identifikation von Bausteinen für Rahmenpläne zukünftiger regionaler Strukturwandelen
dc.identifier.eissn2076-3417
dc.identifier.urihttps://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/9527
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-8578
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subject.ddc600 Technik, Technologiede
dc.subject.othernuclear waste disposal policyen
dc.subject.othertransportation modelingen
dc.subject.otherinterim storageen
dc.subject.otherUnited States of Americaen
dc.subject.othernuclear energyen
dc.subject.otherenergy policyen
dc.titleTransporting and Storing High-Level Nuclear Waste in the U.S.—Insights from a Mathematical Modelen
dc.typeArticleen
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.articlenumber2437en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi10.3390/app9122437en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issue12en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleApplied Sciencesen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishernameMDPIen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceBaselen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume9en
tub.accessrights.dnbfreeen
tub.affiliationFak. 7 Wirtschaft und Management>Inst. Volkswirtschaftslehre und Wirtschaftsrecht (IVWR)>FG Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturpolitik (WIP)de
tub.affiliation.facultyFak. 7 Wirtschaft und Managementde
tub.affiliation.groupFG Wirtschafts- und Infrastrukturpolitik (WIP)de
tub.affiliation.instituteInst. Volkswirtschaftslehre und Wirtschaftsrecht (IVWR)de
tub.publisher.universityorinstitutionTechnische Universität Berlinen
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